A single-minded view of history

It has just one cylinder and less power than some lawnmowers, but for the owner it's as good as it gets.

29 September 2011David Berthon

Rescued from a paddock ... Geoff Simmons with his Innes. Photo: Domino Postiglione.

When it comes to car collectors, Geoff Simmons is a rare breed. While many enthusiasts today are drawn by the allure of powerful V8s, the retired service manager is attracted to small, single-cylinder models.

His latest restoration, a 1904 one-cylinder 8HP Innes rear-entrance tonneau, is one of the rarest cars in Australia and has a fascinating history.

''It's a long way from the Land Rover V8s I used to service,'' Simmons says.

''But for me, this historic 'one-lunger' is as good as it gets.''

The Innes was one of several cars imported by George Innes, an early Sydney motor retail luminary. Innes was well connected in the formative years of the Sydney car trade and decided to import several vehicles from French manufacturer Lacoste et Battmann.

The Paris-based car maker supplied components or completed chassis with outputs of different horsepower to car makers around the world.

Innes is thought to have imported one - and possibly two - one-cylinder 8HP models in 1904, probably in fully built-up form with French bodies.

''It was not uncommon for the importer to then put their own name on them after perhaps adding some local content and equipment,'' Simmons says.

Innes quickly sold his first import to the Sydney biscuit king, HR Arnott, an avid early motorist and by then a member of the Royal Automobile Club of NSW, which was formed in 1903.

Arnott subsequently entered the car in the 1905 Dunlop Reliability Trial between Sydney and Melbourne, one of the world's first long-distance automotive endurance events.

''There were countless punctures and the trial ran into difficulties when some roads were blocked by floods, others by angry farmers, but 21 of the primitive machines, along with Arnott's Innes, eventually reached Melbourne in under five days,'' Simmons says.

Little is known of this diminutive car's history after it ran in the reliability trial, although a contemporary photo shows the car at the Jenolan Caves in 1914. Its ''remains'' were finally rescued by an enthusiast from a paddock on the outskirts of Sydney in 1955.

Simmons says several big-ticket items had been removed from the car, including its engine and gearbox. ''I managed to purchase the 'bones' in 1985 and spent the next 20 years searching out Lacoste et Battmann parts around the world,'' he says.

''We were terribly lucky; I managed to find a 1904 De Dion engine like the original with an atmospheric inlet valve and then, by sheer chance, saw a correct Lacoste gearbox advertised in a magazine. I had one rear hub and wheel and used it as a pattern to make the other three.

''Perhaps the biggest job was replicating the rear-entrance tonneau body - not easy but I'm very pleased with the end result.''

The De Dion engine drives through a cone-clutch to a three-speed progressive gearbox and - despite vibration from the one-cylinder engine under load - it produces amazing performance, with a top speed of almost 50km/h.

Despite its tiny size, the Innes is not the most fuel-efficient of cars - using more fuel than modern V8s, about 14 litres per 100 kilometres.

Simmons's fascination with one-cylinder cars extends to a more potent one-cylinder 8HP Delage Roadster, a French two-seater able to consistently cruise at 80km/h.

Painted in French racing blue, the Delage also features a De Dion Bouton engine and a three-speed progressive gearbox and, as with the Innes, the only deviation from originality is the fitment of electronic ignition.

''When you only have one cylinder, timing is crucial and the electronic ignition, which fits neatly out of the way into the original timer, provides a far more consistent and accurate spark.''

What's next?

''I've always wanted a steam car and would really like to restore a coffin-nosed Stanley Steamer from around 1910 - they were very popular in the United States in their day and are often advertised for sale."

"Only trouble is they have two cylinders - it's going to be a big change for me.''